This Is What Happens When You Leave 20
by maximumride24
Summary: REWRITE! Fang left when Max was 18, 7 years later the world has been saved and the flock is trying to adjust to a "normal" life in NYC. Everything has seemed to fallen back in to place, but what happens when Fang returns. Will the flock be able to accept him again. How will Jinx, Max's new boyfriend react? Who will win Max's heart? JAX FAX Rated T for language and sexual suggestion
1. Chapter 1

**Due to a random surge of reviews and people asking me to continue the story I decided to re-write my story. This takes place as if the last 4 books never happened. I will be sticking to my original plot line with a few minor changes for obvious reasons. A lot of my writing of the characters POVs were very OOC, I wanted to change that, along with just the writing style all together. I don't not own Maximum Ride. So without further au due:**

**Max's POV**

_Run. Run. Run. My mind was screaming, my body was pumping, my heart was about to beat out of my chest, but I couldn't stop now. I was too close to the edge of freedom. I could feel the vibrations of their feet slamming the ground as they followed behind me. That's when I saw it, the end of the earth. It was now or never, and I was always partial for the now. I inhaled deeply, jumped, and as I exhaled I let my wings unfurl. Liftoff. A few beats of my wings and I was soaring high above the city, and at that moment I couldn't be happier. Then I remembered, where they still behind me. That's when I heard Nudge yell out to Iggy describing the mesmerizing sight of New York City all lit up. Angel flew above me, giggling as the wind brushed a few of her blond curls against her face, tickling her nose. Gazzy just flew straight ahead, his face was intense and in deep concentration, but he was calm. And, suddenly I realized that the whole atmosphere was calm and relaxing, something we had rarely experienced for the first half of our lives. A sudden rush of relief flowed through my veins. We were all safe, we were all free, and most of all we were all together. Well, almost all of us. _

I shot up out of bed feeling both sad and relieved. I always liked those kinds of dreams, but they always left me with a numbing pain in my heart. They made me happy because I was finally able to have dreams about peace and flying for the fun of it, but sad because not all of us were there together.

It had been eight years since the destruction of all the schools in existence, and those who ran them had been either killed or imprisoned for the rest of their lives. Though it may make me a bad person, I couldn't help but find joy out of their suffering in prison. Finally, they could see what it was like to be confined to a cage with steel bars blocking them from socialization and freedom. Served them right.

So, I guess I should probably catch you guys up on what has been happening in the ever so exciting life of Maximum Ride and her band of rambunctious flock. Well, I guess I'll start off with explaining everyone else's life, since theirs are much less complicated.

My sweet little Angel wasn't so little anymore. She turned sixteen not too long ago and has been enjoying a "normal" life at a real high school. I am happy at least one of us gets to find out what it feels like to grow up in a stable environment and worry about the petty things all teenagers think will be the end of their world. Gazzy, well I couldn't be more proud! Through all the pain and hardship he has been through he has adjusted to his freshman year at Harvard University pretty well, and is pulling mostly A's in all of his college course. He decided that the best major for him was chemistry. I on the other hand find that to be very dangerous. I don't even what to know what bombs he's going to create now. Sigh, it is really hard to believe he is eighteen and capable of making his life decisions on his own now. My amazing Nudge has been just as wild and crazy as ever, but I guess that's how all twenty-one years old are supposed to act. Well, according to all the chick-flicks and coming of age movies I've seen. Iggy has been doing well for himself as well. He got a job in the FBI, however most of his work is confidential, so I do not really know what he does for a living. I do know he makes enough money to help me pay for Gazzy's tuition for Harvard and live comfortably in the upper side of Manhattan, New York. For only being twenty-four, without a high school or college education, I'd say he's doing pretty well for himself.

I also should mention that we have a few new additions to our mixed-matched flock. Jinx and Brianna: we met them when I was eighteen, during our mission to destroy any and all schools that popped up.

Jinx's wings are a solid midnight black with dark red tips. His chestnut hair and beige skin make his brilliant sapphire eyes stand out. At first we only accepted him into our flock because his ability was useful in completing our mission. He was a telepath and shape shifter. He could change into any animal or person he wanted to at a moment's notice. So, yeah having someone like him on our side was pretty convenient.

Brianna was also just as useful. She was able to not only turn herself invisible, but anyone else as long as she was touching them. Her ability definitely got us out of more than just a few tough spots. She's also quite gorgeous. Her hair was a golden brown that made her hazel eyes shine. Her wings were also some of the coolest wings I had ever seen. They were white with specks of rose mixed throughout. And when she was flying in the sun the rose made them look like a shiny pink.

With the help of Jinx and Brianna we were able to accomplish our mission by the time we were twenty years old. And that's what brought us to New York. We had lived here before and it was familiar, so why not go back? That's when Jinx and I decided to open up the Jax Café together. I guess I should mention one more small detail; Jinx is my boyfriend.

I know you all must be dying to know why I haven't mentioned anything about Fang. Well, that's because he left us when I was eighteen. He didn't tell anyone, just left a short note "not goodbye," and left in the dead of night.

I cried for years over him being gone. Without him I felt like I had lost my right hand. What was worse is that I felt like I couldn't protect my flock, my family. And honestly if it wasn't for Jinx none of us would have survived or successfully destroy all the schools. He was the one person to pull me out of the darkness of my mind. He helped me think clearly. He helped me devise every step of the plan to bring down the institution that experimented on and created us. It took a few years, but eventually I fell in love with him and I knew that I would never want to be apart from him.

Three years passed by before I could get used to the daily routine we had fallen into. Every day at 10:00pm the flock meets Jinx and I at the café and helps us close up. Our apartments are on the fifth floor of the building, which I have to admit is very convenient because it gives me at least an extra half an hour of sleep before I have to get up and open the café. Jinx, Angel, Nudge, and I share a three bedroom apartment, while Brianna and Iggy live across the hall in a two bedroom apartment. Oh, yeah I forgot to mention, Brianna and Iggy have been dating for a year and half now. It is sweet to see him so happy. And he trusts her 100%, which is hard for any of us.

Even though I am happier than I have ever been in my entire life, I still feel incomplete and I know exactly why. I miss Fang. It hurts to know that he cannot enjoy the tranquility we have finally reached. We fought side by side for eighteen years to get to this point before he left, and now I don't even know where he is or how he is doing. It makes me uneasy, and I hate feeling uneasy. Especially since I know what it feels like to be at easy most of the time. The matter of the fact is I just miss him.

**Fang's POV**

I strolled around downtown Manhattan. I needed to think for a while. It had been officially ten years since I left the flock to the day. And it was wearing me down. I couldn't think about anything else except for Nudge, Iggy, Gazzy, little Angel, and of course Max.

Max…God I missed her so much it hurt. I wish I never left, but I had too. I had to follow up on a lead about potential schools popping up. But, I couldn't let Max in on it. It was too dangerous. In the end, she was the one to actually destroy all of the schools and the leaders that were behind their creation in the first place.

I spent years following her, trying to meet back up with them. I was never fast enough. I was always one step behind. Eventually, I thought I would take a break and settle down for a little while. Plus, I didn't have any leads to follow up on to try and find them. That was Max for you though; she was always covering her tracks. It was out of habit, who could blame her. I know I did the same thing. Who knew our old habits would make it impossible for us to reunite again.

Who knew that we would ever be this free?

**Sooooooo, there you guys go! Tell me how you feel about it and if you want me to just start from scratch and continue on with this story! I will only do it if enough people are seriously interested in me doing so! Please review! **

**PS if I do decide to continue I will update every Sunday! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own maximum ride. I do own Jinx and Brianna gave me permission to own her in this story as long as she gets to kiss Iggy. **

**Sorry for the long update! I went on a road trip to see a friend and forgot to post while I was hanging out with her! But here you guys go! **

**I will be trying my very hardest to post once a week! Thanks for all of the reviews last time guys! And your follows are greatly appreciated as well!**

**Max's POV**

Ugh. Lunch time: the most frustrating part of my day. Ask me to save the world? Yeah, sure that's easy! Ask me to manage the cashier and keep up with all the lunch orders from hundreds of businessmen and women? No, I am a complete mess. Why did I get involve in the service industry again?

A stubby lady came up to the counter.

"Hello, may I help I help you?" I said brightly, without trying to sound sarcastic.

"Yes, I will take a French onion soup and an iced tea," she replied polity.

"Sure thing it will be ready momentarily. Your number is 352," I said handing her the receipt.

The lunch hour dragged on and I was damn near ready to rip my hair out. Was it really only Monday? This week was going to be a busy one, I could just tell. It always was at the end of the month. People had so many last minute due dates for whatever projects they were working on, which meant they wanted their food the moment they put their orders in. New Yorkers were always in such a rush, even on a normal day. Though I honestly could say I understood their behavior. I mean I was on the run for my life for only twenty years of my life.

"Hey, Max, do you have any ones?" Jinx called from the other cash register.

"Ummm… let me check," I called over to him. I opened the cash register and picked up ten ones.

"Yeah, here you go," I smiled as I handed them to him. He gave me his usual million dollar smile and wink in return, and I could practically feel my heart melt into my blood stream. He sure knew how to make a girl go weak in the knees. By the smirk that appeared on his face, he knew his power over me, too.

I took the next five people and then business seemed to calm down some. I watched all the people sitting there eating, working, and talking. Then one guy caught my eye. He was staring out the window. His dark black hair fell over his eyes, and the sun brightened up his olive colored skin. He looked as if he was deep in thought. Definitely the strong silent type, but that wasn't why he caught my attention. I felt my heart twinge, he reminded me so much of Fang.

For a moment I wish it was him, but even if it was I don't know what I would say or do. Sure, I missed him like hell, but he left us. He not only broke my heart and left me feeling helpless, but he broke the hearts of the rest of the flock. I could not forgive him easily for doing that to them. My mixed feelings of longing, hate, and sadness, disappeared as fast as they came. I had other customers to focus on anyways.

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise when Jinx came up behind me and pecked me on the cheek.

"Hey Hun, I'm going on lunch. Do you think you can handle the rest of the crowd?" he asked sweetly.

"Sure. Go right ahead." I said dryly. It wasn't much of crowd anymore. He looked at me kind of concerned. I guess I was still feeling some sort of way since I had seen Fang's look alike. Jinx did have the amazing ability to read my emotions. Even when I was emotionless, he could easily tell when something was wrong, like Fang. God, I needed to stop thinking about him.

"I'm fine! I promise. Now go eat! You won't be of any use if you're hungry." I laughed as I shooed him to the back of the kitchen. It was true though, when Jinx got hungry it was like dealing with a twelve year old boy. He would gripe and complain, but once you fed him, he would be the most delightful person to be around. Men, I swear. I shook my head and continued on with the costumers ahead of me.

**Jinx's POV**

I watched as Max took someone's order. The noon sun shone through the window and casted a halo around her body, and I couldn't help but stare at her natural beauty. I knew I was one lucky man to be able to call her mine. Hell, I was a lucky man to even know her.

Business calmed down and Max stood behind the counter, observing everyone else eat, work, and talk. I saw her zero in on one guy, and I could see her face cringe. There was a mixture of love, sadness, and maybe even hatred glowing in her eyes. I looked at the guy and immediately knew why. He looked exactly like Fang, or so I imagined. She rarely talked about him, but she did tell me what he looked like one time. I guess the only reason she even told me about him was just in case I ever ran into him during our missions. Honestly, if I did ever run into him, it would take a lot for me not to beat him to death.

I felt a wave of anger rush over me. I had to use all myself control not to attack this innocent bystander, who happened to look like the man that broke my girlfriend's heart. Finally, after what seemed like hours of trying to contain my anger, he got up and left.

In an odd way, Fang was what brought us together. Max was reluctant at first to open up to me, especially about Fang. After months of us traveling together and destroying schools, she began to trust me. She even openly cried in front of me. She never cried often, but when she did it was for many reasons, not just Fang. I respected that, because I knew that she was stronger than letting one boy ruin her happiness.

I watched Max for a little bit longer, losing myself within her. Suddenly, my stomach growled and snapped me out of my trance. Boy was I hungry. I walked over to Max, kissing her cheek.

_Later that night_

**Iggy's POV**

I had finally gotten off work. Total and I were making our way over to the Jax Café to meet Max and the others. I still wasn't used to being on such a dictated schedule. But, hey, it's hard to adjust to stability when for twenty years of your life has been constant chaos. Though, secretly, I really loved my daily routine. I knew where my next meal was coming from, I knew where I was going to sleep at night, and I knew what I was going to do the next day. I had nothing to complain about.

We continued walking and I let my mind wander to Brianna. I couldn't wait to see her at the end of every day. She was pure beauty. And, I don't mean looks wise. Her voice was soft and sweet. Her skin was smooth and flawless, even with all the scars. I loved her scars just as I loved mine. They were symbols of our fight and victory. They brought me comfort. She brought me comfort; especially at night, when the nightmares were so bad that I would wake up screaming in a cold sweat.

She would hold my head close to her heart so I could listen to her even heartbeat and let mine match. She would softly say my name over and over until I fell asleep in her lap. I never thought that someone like me could find real love. We had the kind of love that held no secrets and brought so much trust and happiness to the table. Hell, who knew I would even live long enough to want to find love.

I snapped out of my trance when I could feel the hairs on my neck rise. Someone was following us. I guess the ability to sense someone tracking you was one useful skill I learned from being on the run. Figures.

"Total." I mumbled as he tapped my hand with his nose in understanding. We quickened our pace. I had to lose whoever the hell was following us, which meant I was going to be late meeting everyone. Oh, Max was going to kill me…if Brianna didn't get to me first. I couldn't just lead this person straight to my family. I mean, what if it was someone trying to capture us again and start new experiments.

Also, being on the run makes you paranoid, and being paranoid leads you to have multiple back up plans. Max feared that something like this would happen again. Therefore, she created a path for us for if something like this ever happened.

I rounded the corner when I bumped into someone. Shit.

"Sorry," I barely mumbled, keeping my head low.

"Iggy?" a familiar voice said my name. It couldn't be though. There was no way he was here.

"Fang?" I whispered. I was in disbelief.

"Holy sh-," I heard Total said under his breathe.

"Yeah," Fang said in an emotionless tone that I know so well.

"Come on." I urged him after I snapped out of my shock. This was not the time for reunions. I grabbed his wrist and tried pulling him along. 

"What are you doing? It isn't safe right now. Someone was following us!" I continued to pull his arm.

"Calm down. I was the one following you guys. I thought I saw you, but I couldn't be sure so I followed for a little bit to make sure it was you. I will say though, you haven't lost your touch. You recognized someone was following nearly right away. That was when I was sure it was you." He spoke so matter-of-the-fact, which wasn't unusual. Yep, this was definitely Fang. I could tell by his voice and the way his body heat radiated off of him.

"Oh God. Max is literally going to kill me for this…" I muttered under my breath. Sighing deeply, tugged on his sleeve telling him to follow me.

Fang's footsteps fell in line with mine as we made our way to Jax. This is really, really, really bad. Max just got life back in order, for fucks sake. We all did. Now, the person that caused so much pain and distress just suddenly reappears. Then again, it sounds like a total Fang move. This was just too weird for me. Why did I have to be the one to find him? Dear lord…I am so dead.

"So Fang are you going to tell where you've been and why you left or are we just going to sit here all day?' I blurted out, not really knowing what else to say or ask. My tone dripped with cold anger, but I could feel the pain mixed within. I wanted answers and I wasn't going to be around the bush. I was too old for that shit. Nearly dying to save the world put quite a few things into perspective, and wasting time wasn't one of them.

**Fang's POV**

I knew it was Iggy the very moment I saw him. It was kind of hard to miss a six foot blind man walk with such grace and ease with a black Scottie dog by his side. I had to be sure though, so I followed him. The only thing was he noticed right away. It was hard to keep up with him as he moved through the streets taking random turns. However, anyone experienced enough in losing people would know they weren't just random turns, but an escape route. That's when I was 300% positive that it was Iggy. So, I did what anyone in this situation would do, I made myself known to him physically. That was the only way for him to be able to recognize me right away. I couldn't pass up this opportunity, not after years of looking for them.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of walking in dead awkward silence, Iggy bluntly asked about my story. Well, he was sure quick to get to the point. He was angry, very angry, but hurt too. It sent a pang through my heart. I caused him to hurt. How could I do that to my family? My only family. And, if I hurt him how bad did I hurt the others? How bad did I hurt Max? I started to feel the familiar sense of self-loathing that I had felt ever since the night I left.

"Well, are you going to tell me anything or just sit there?" Iggy growled again. I flinched at his words. I didn't really expect a warm welcome or for us to dive back into our normal relationship. It had been about seven years. I mean really what was I expecting?

"I don't know why I left. I can barely even recall my logic for leaving. I wanted to protect you guys. I wanted to save Max the burden from saving the world. I caught word of schools popping up around the country again. I wanted to put an end to it before anyone got seriously hurt. I thought I could take on the world on my own. But, I quickly regretted my decision and tried to track you guys down a month afterwards. You were always a few steps ahead of me though. I could never catch up." I tried to explain my logic, but failed miserably. Probably because I couldn't even follow my own thoughts, I was eighteen when I left. I was still impulsive.

Iggy stayed silent as he walked facing forward. He didn't look at me or even acknowledged that I had stopped speaking.

"Then I heard about all the schools being destroyed, and you guys went completely off the grid. I mean which you guys did a really good job of doing. It meant you guys were safe, or at least I had hoped you were safe. There was always that one horrible thought that you guys had been killed or worse, captured." I continued. Iggy still didn't say a word.

"After that I decided that I would travel around, hoping to come across a lead or sign that you guys were around. I traveled from city to city, state to state, even country to country. There was just no-"

"How long have you've been in New York?" Iggy suddenly interrupted me. He held no emotion in his words.

"About four months. I chose this as a last resort. I didn't really think you would all end up in a place that we had spent so much time before." I answered his question truthfully.

"Dude, you should never have left. Do you have any idea what you put the others and me through? What you put Max though? It was a disaster! She was barely able to function. Honestly, I'm not sure what would have happened to us if it wasn't for the whole 'Lets save the world bullshit.' You were being completely selfish by leaving." Iggy sighed. He had a solemn look across his face. That hit me hard. He was right. I was selfish in leaving.

"I mean the flock lost its right arm. We weren't the same team without you. We could have saved the world in half the time we did of you were with us. I mean really dude! What the hell? I could have had another year of my life to enjoy a "normal" life if you stayed" he laughed as he gave me a slap on the back. Warmth radiated through my body. I knew I wasn't there completely, but Iggy was willing to accept me back into his life, and it felt really good.

"So you ready to see the others?" He asked, returning to his original serious tone.

The real answer no.

**Max's POV**

For Christ's sake what was taking Iggy so damn long! I mean really, he was always so punctual. I signed us up for a fucking cell phone plan for a reason! That way if any of us were going to be late for any reason we could call each other. Oh, what an ingenious plan.

I paced back and forth. If he knew what was good for him he would be back soon. He did not want me going out and finding him. He would be limping for the next three weeks if I had to go out and find him. And that would just be from me, there is no telling what Brianna would do to him.

"Jinx, Jinx where is he? I swear, the moment he walks through that door I'm going to kill him." I fumed as Jinx sat down in one of the booths in front of me.

"Max. Max calm down, take a deep breath and relax. It's Iggy he's fine. He knows how to handle himself. I'm sure nothing happened. He might be doing a last minute report or whatever the FBI has him doing. It's nothing, I promise." Jinx pulled me on to his lap and started to rub my back. I felt my body ease up. His touch was warm and comforting. I took a deep breath and talked to Jinx to get my mind off the time.

"Any sign of him?" I called to Brianna after another twenty minutes passed.

"No," her voice was filled with worry. I mean Iggy was never late. Never. That was one of the conditions he made with the FBI when he first joined. He had trust issues with the government, and if they wanted his help, he was going to make sure they followed through with all of his terms. I still didn't know what he did there, but they must have wanted him badly enough to agree to everything. Even the really weird and ridiculous ones he made up just to mess with them.

"Max has Iggy called yet?" Angel's sweet voice asked.

"No, I'm afraid not honey," I tried to keep my voice steady, but was failing miserably.

"M'kay, tell me if you hear anything," Angle said sadly and walked off. I nodded in her direction and continued to talk to Jinx.

**Brianna's POV**

I swear Iggy was a dead man the moment he walked through that door. He should know better than to not call us if he's going to be more than two fricking hours late! I mean really, I will not let him get away with making me so damned worried. I was going to make sure he never did something like this again. Of course afterwards I would let him know how much I loved him.

I groaned in frustration. It was 12:15am. Where in the world could he be? Suddenly, the door swung open and Iggy was standing there. He looked absolutely frantic. What in the world happened?

"Max. Where is Max? I need to talk to her right now it is extremely important," Iggy breathed out, sounding stressed over something.

"Right there," I said fast, pointing to her, standing almost next to me.

"Max, I need to talk to you right now and only Max, I'll explain later. I promise." Iggy said sternly. Jinx and I exchanged confused looks and reluctantly walked to the back of the kitchen. What in the world could be so important that he could only tell Max

**Max's POV**

"Iggy, where have you been? What do you think the point of us all having cell phones is for? I mean really. I was freaking out over here. I thought you might have gotten hurt or something." I didn't even give Iggy a chance to explain himself before I started scolding him.

"Look I'm really sorry, Max," Iggy hugged me quickly to try and calm me down.

"But um… right now isn't the time to be getting mad at me," Iggy said shaking. What was he so nerves about.

"Why not?" I yelled this time.

"Because Max-," but he never got to finish because someone stepped out from behind him. I felt myself leave my body.

Fang, Fang was gone. He left me, he can't be here. He was just a memory. I guess he wasn't as big of a liar as I thought he was. Why was he here? How was he here? I was no longer mad at Iggy. I sure as hell was confused. I couldn't wrap my mind around what was happening. Suddenly, I returned to my body. The shock was so great that the ground disappeared beneath my feet. I welcomed the darkness that came.

**Thanks for reading! Until next time **


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